The brilliance of the Kindle

I was given a Kindle for Father's Day. I had thought about getting one for a while, but have become risk averse when it comes to new gadgets. There is always some new gadget that is supposed to save me time and money, and they almost never do. And I read a lot on airplanes, and they don't make you turn off your old-fashioned paper book during take off and landing. But I had a three day business trip just after the weekend, so I took the Kindle along.

I was hooked almost instantly.

• It was easy to read and easy on the eyes, unlike my iPhone. I hear people say they read books on their iPhone, but reading for more than a few minutes on an iPhone gives me a headache--small screen and the transmissive imaging technology are a bad mix. The Kindle (I have the cheap ad-supported one) uses e-ink, which uses reflective imaging, just like paper.
• It is small and light, and holds a charge for so long that you don't need another charger or even a charging cable. It really adds less weight than a single paperback book, and takes up a lot less space--another plus.
• Buying books is dead simple. I logged into my Amazon account via my laptop, bought a book for five bucks, switched to the Kindle, turned the WiFi on, and in less than 10 seconds the newly purchased book was on the Kindle.
• The ads are innocuous. When you turn the Kindle off, a full screen ad appears. When you turn the Kindle back on, the ad disappears. The ads never appear while reading.

Just as the iPad disrupted the market for PCs (PC sales have been declining since the iPad was released), and just as the iPod disrupted the music market, the Kindle has begun to disrupt the publishing market. Amazon has made it very easy for authors to self-publish ebooks via the Kindle, and the winners are readers, and the losers are the traditional publishing houses.

Paper books still have some useful qualities, but I can't think of a single reason to ever buy another paperback book. I hardly ever re-read paperbacks. Apple's approach to ebooks is entirely different, with that company focusing on the ability of the iPad to display and integrate text, video, audio, and images. I still don't have an iPad, because for business, the iPad still can't replace my laptop when traveling. But my Kindle will be with me on every trip. It is a marvelously-designed device.